Keeping active helps support and promote good mental health and well-being. The benefits of exercise are well documented, with physical activity playing a huge role in keeping people’s minds healthy. On top of the advantages it offers our bodies, exercise also helps reduce stress and clear the mind.

As Action Mental Health this week focuses on parenting as part of the #CovidWellbeingNI campaign and the benefits of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, we’re urging mums and dads to encourage their children to keep active as we emerge from the lockdown – and beyond.

Adhering to social distancing guidelines, you can keep active whether by walking, running, cycling or by home workouts on YouTube. Even swimmers, who have to wait until August before they can take the plunge in swimming pools, are returning to the seas around our coast for their daily exercise.

The research proves it – exercise is good for you

People who exercise regularly often experience greater levels of well-being. Research has shown improvements in people suffering mild to moderate depression and that exercise is as effective as taking antidepressant medication – but without the side effects.

A recent study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing.

Exercise changes the brain in way that promotes feelings of calm and well-being, releases endorphins which energise your spirits and make you feel good. Exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

Exercise is also a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.

Activity also helps relieve the physical symptoms of stress which can place a heavy burden of tension across your face, neck, and shoulders, leaving you with back or neck pain, or painful headaches. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps. You may also experience problems such as insomnia, heartburn, stomach ache, diarrhoea, or frequent urination. The worry and discomfort of all these physical symptoms can in turn lead to even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your mind and body.

Regular exercise also aids:

• Higher levels of energy during the day and better sleep at night
• Sharper memories, greater positivity and feelings of being more relaxed and promotes higher self-esteem
• Mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects
• Stronger resilience against unhealthy coping mechanisms like resorting to alcohol or drugs or other negative behaviours
• Stronger immune system

Other physical benefits of regular exercise include slashing the risks of getting certain diseases, up to:

• 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• 50% lower risk of colon cancer
• 20% lower risk of breast cancer
• 30% lower risk of early death
• 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
• 68% lower risk of hip fracture
• 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
• 30% lower risk of depression
• 30% lower risk of dementia

For more information read The Help Guide’s helpful advice here

This is a key time for parents and carers of children after the Covid-19 crisis changed the way we live, removing us from our workplaces and our normal lives as well as isolating us from our loved ones.

Children of all ages have experienced a unique and dramatic upheaval to their routine like nothing before. Statutory exams were cancelled for the first time in recent memory, and uncertainly still prevails around the readiness of children facing the AQE Transfer tests this coming autumn.

Vitally important social networks were affected and even friendships fractured during the lockdown, and now, as we take tentative steps back into a new, socially-distant normal, anxiety has been heightened for many people. For some, the easing of lockdown might be as challenging for our mental health as when it started, especially among those of the most vulnerable who have been shielding.

Working aged people may be anxious about returning to work and placing their children back into childcare, while pupils and students can be fearful of returning to their educational institutions – it’s all an unchartered path we are taking at the moment.

Steering your children back to a new normal, based on social distancing, can be a difficult road to navigate for parents, but Action Mental Health’s MensSana team have been busy adapting their specialist services for online delivery during the lockdown.  It’s important to note that there is still much help to be found.

Action Mental Health’s project workers have been reminding parents and other carers, it is paramount that they look after their own mental health first before they can begin to help their young ones.

Like they say on aeroplanes: ‘Please fit your own oxygen mask before attempting to help others’.

There are a whole host of programmes designed by AMH which aim to foster greater mental health resilience across Northern Ireland society.

You can find out more about these programmes by visiting: https://www.amh.org.uk/services/menssana/

There is also a host of helpful information on the Covid Wellbeing NI site including a useful guide for parents

As well as other useful resources on relationships

This week, as part of the #CovidWellbeingNI Partnership, we are encouraging parents to be aware of the signs of mental health issues in children and young people as we come out of lockdown.

AMH MensSana works with parents and carers, teaching them to recognise mental health issues that children and young people in their care may be facing.

Action Mental Health is warning that there could be an increase in mental health issues faced by children and young people as we deal with the fallout of lockdown and its impact on our younger generations.

We’re urging parents and carers to spot the signs of mental ill health such as:

• Persistent sadness — two or more weeks.
• Withdrawing from or avoiding social interactions.
• Hurting oneself or talking about hurting oneself.
• Talking about death or suicide.
• Outbursts or extreme irritability.
• Out-of-control behaviour that can be harmful.
• Excessive worrying or fear.
• Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning.
• Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria.

One tried and test approach towards promoting your overall well-being is the Five Ways to Well-being, which everyone of all ages can take as a mental ‘five-a-day’. The steps remind us to:

• Stay Connected,
• Be Active
• Keep Learning
• Take Notice
• Give

Further advice and support can be found on the CovidWellbeing NI website which the AMH is contributing to in partnership with 15 other mental health charities, as well as the Public Health Agency and the Departments for Communities and Health.

Operations Manager of Resilience and Wellbeing, Amanda Jones said:

“Lockdown has been a rollercoaster for most adults, so it’s important we don’t forget that it will also have had very significant impacts on our children and young people. Many of them left school without any sense of closure or being able to say goodbye to friends and teachers.

“ Children may carry these burdens and it may have a detrimental impact on them.

“As many of us try to balance home-schooling, childcare and working at home, it is important that we support parents and carers to look out for signs of mental ill health and encourage them to talk to children and young people about these issues.

“Empowering parents to broach issues like this can help mitigate against the very worst impacts of this virus on our collective mental health and wellbeing. Through honest conversations and acknowledging thoughts and feelings, children and young people can become more aware of emotional health and may engage more with the idea of wellbeing.

“Action Mental Health are very aware that the long term impacts of the global health crisis may not be known for a long time, but we know children and young people will face significant issues as a result of the legacy of Covid-19, we need to act now to protect against this.

“The enormous shift in life for many will have major impacts moving forward. Services including the Covid Wellbeing NI Hub are good resources for mental health coping strategies and should be utilised to help both parents and the young people and children they are looking after.”

Follow us all week on our social media channels for more tips!

AMH services across Northern Ireland are beginning the process of gradually re-opening.

Clients in AMH New Horizons Fermanagh who returned to the service this week were delighted to meet up with friends and have an opportunity to take a trip into the countryside to Correlea Activity Centre. They spent the morning reconnecting with nature on the banks of Lough Mc Nean, and competing with each other in an enthusiastic archery session, finding the experience the perfect antidote to lockdown fever.

AMH New Horizons activities operate through the “Working it Out” project, which is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Department for the Economy and the five NI Health & Social Care Trusts.

The pictures below capture some of the fun clients got to share after their recent absence from each other.

A message from our Chief Executive, David Babington.

The last few months have been an extremely challenging time for everyone in our society. As an organisation we are very much aware of the additional pressures that this period has brought for our clients.

In a recent survey carried out across our services the vast majority of clients expressed their desire to see a return to face-to-face support as soon as it is safe to do so. With that in mind, I am delighted to be able to announce that we are beginning that process. We are gradually re-opening our New Horizons sites to allow for a blended approach to learning and support. We also recognise that this will not be possible for all clients, so please rest assured that remote support will continue to be in place alongside face-to-face delivery.

Action Mental Health is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our clients and the staff who are there for them and as such significant work has been put into ensuring all sites are safe and compliant with relevant guidelines. We will continue to monitor and adhere to all public health guidance as we move forward.
We will also continue to provide regular updates, in what is uncharted territory for us all.

I would like to say a huge and heartfelt thanks to you, for your ongoing support, patience and understanding during this time.  I would also like to pay tribute to my AMH colleagues, who have worked tirelessly through these turbulent times. Their dedication and commitment to our clients and beneficiaries has been clear to see.

I look forward to seeing our services return to full normality, as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, please do stay safe and continue to follow the Public Health Agency guidelines.

Best wishes,

David Babington

Action Mental Health changes the lives of those living with mental ill health and promotes resilience and well-being to future generations, having worked with employers to promote positive mental health since 1963.  

New challenges

Responding to employee well-being needs is undoubtedly a bit different for employers to navigate this year and AMH Works is here to help.  With a suite of evidence based mental health and well-being training programmes and a wealth of expertise in workplace well-being, AMH Works can support employers to promote positive mental health for employees and create a healthy and more resilient workplace. 

The training and consultancy support offered by AMH Works has been shown to have a positive impact on health and wellness, reducing sickness absence and making workplaces more effective and resilient.

With key well-being dates such as; World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10^th September and World Mental Health Day on the 9^th October you can plan ahead to maximise engagement and ensure you invest in your employee’s mental health and well-being.

AMH Works Training

AMH Works offer a selection of interactive and engaging training courses designed using evidence based models for health and well-being and tailored to meet the needs of all employees including managers. We offer the option of online training and face to face training at your business premises by a qualified and professional trainer with the provision of follow up support where appropriate.

AMH Works can also work with employers to assess the needs for their workplace and create bespoke approaches including training courses designed to meet the specific needs of your organisation and employees.

You can read more about or courses below or get in touch now by calling Shelly Wilson, AMH Works Manager on 07540124083 or by emailing [email protected].

2-hour courses

Mental Health Awareness

The main objectives of the mental health awareness workshop are to draw attention towards the main mental health issues and disorders; stress, anxiety, depression, bi-polar and schizophrenia, whilst providing an overview of the signs and symptoms through a fact-based, informative and supportive structure. 

Personal Resilience

The main objectives of the personal resilience workshop are to equip employees and employers with the best methods to cope with the pressures and stresses of life and work, whilst providing an overview of stress and thought management through an evidence-based, informative and supportive structure.

Stress Awareness and Management

The main aims of the stress management training are to provide an overview of stress and what causes it, whilst also, equipping employees and employers with strategies to both identify and cope with the stress of life.

Manager Sessions

The Mindful Manager

The main aims of the mindful manager workshop are to give managers the tools required to identify issues staff may be having in the workplace and equip them with the conversational skills to facilitate a solution before issues cause significant loss of productivity/absenteeism.

Public Health Agency Endorsed Programmes

Mental Health First Aid First aid as we know it is the help given to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) differs only in that it is the help provided to a person developing a mental health issue or who is in a mental health crisis.

Mental Health First Aid is now being delivered online

Corporate Social Responsibility

By supporting AMH Works you are supporting our vision statement at Action Mental Health;“A society which actively values and supports people on their journey to positive mental health.”Through our social enterprise model all of our funds raised go back into Action Mental Health’s invaluable work across Northern Ireland.

What our clients say:

Working with Action Mental Health has enabled us to launch an innovative Mental Health Training session to address how we approach Mental Health conversations with our staff and subcontractors. Action Mental Health were involved in the consultation, design and delivery of our bespoke workshop which we believe to be ground breaking in our industry.  Involving AMH at every stage really supported the professionalism, tone and accuracy of the workshop we developed, this has been hugely beneficial to develop skills and confidence regarding having conversations about Mental Health. Collaborating with AMH has helped ensure our Mental Health journey continues and remains a priority within our business

Farrans

AMH Works provide a range of programmes which support employers to improve mental and emotional well-being in the workplace and create Healthy, Resilient Workplaces, to find out more contact AMH Works Manager, Shelly Wilson on 07540124083 or [email protected].

Recent events in our local community have caused shock and distress for many people across Northern Ireland.

For some it could have triggered past traumatic events and resurfaced old feelings and Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms. These are real, and should not be ignored, the more awareness you have around coping strategies to manage your feelings the better. 

Being aware of your emotions at this time and your reactions means you can start to understand them and knowing this feel more in control. People who are experiencing heightened stress, anxiety, agitation, tearfulness  and fear should try and step back from social media and the bombardment of news TV or print media.

Try to get exercise; go for a walk, contact friends, family or good neighbours, listen to music, do something creative like paint, write your feelings and try to be aware of your breathing, especially when you are starting to feel overwhelmed. Try to remain in the present and focus on what you are doing right now, not yesterday or tomorrow but in the here and now.

Remember it is a normal response to think of your own trauma or experience flashbacks, when hearing about the current traumatic events, it’s just managing these with healthy coping strategies.

If you feel as though you’re not coping, please seek appropriate professional help via your GP or by referral to AMH New Life Counselling – by clicking here.

Action Mental Health is delighted to welcome Roisin Kelly to her new role on the organisation’s Board of Directors. Roisin had previously taken part in the Boardroom Apprentice scheme with New Life Counselling, prior to the two organisations merging.

“I am delighted to join the Board of Action Mental Health. I am excited to be part of this amazing organisation that delivers services which have such a positive impact on people’s lives. Now, more than ever, mental health awareness and service provision is so important and I hope to contribute to this through my new role.  A huge thank you to the Boardroom Apprentice programme for equipping me with the skills and confidence to #getonboard and to my host board New Life Counselling for the experience over the past year. “

Roisin studied Finance at Queens University and went on to work with KPMG, where she trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.  She moved to the public sector and has worked for the Department of Finance for over 10 years.  She is currently Head of Government Accounts Branch, where she is responsible for the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund, Treasury Management, VAT, Fraud, Debt and Risk Management.  In her spare time Roisin loves to run and in 2019 she ran her first marathon in Belfast in aid of AMH.